Marvin & James Save the Day and Elaine Helps! (Masterpiece Adventures Series #4)

by Elise Broach, Kelly Murphy (Illustrator)

Overview

Book 4 in the Masterpiece Adventures chapter book series featuring Marvin the beetle and his best friend, James.

James’s father, Karl, and Christina, his friend from the museum, are getting married! James is the ring bearer and he is excited but also nervous. He loves Christina yet he is worried about losing his dad to a different family and a different life. And what if, at the wedding, James drops the ring? His beetle best friend Marvin promises to help him, but Marvin ends up with an even more critical job when something goes wrong. Will the whole wedding be ruined? Not if Marvin and James and Elaine can help it.

This young chapter book for emergent readers captures the miniature world and friendship of Marvin the beetle and James. Complete with charming illustrations on every page by Kelly Murphy.

Christy Ottaviano Books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250186089
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	04/09/2019
Series:	Masterpiece Adventures Series , #4
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	54 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Elise Broach is the New York Times-bestselling author of books for children and young adults, including Desert Crossing, Shakespeare's Secret, Masterpiece, and the Superstition Mountain Mysteries series as well as The Miniature World of Marvin and James and James to the Rescue. Her books have been selected as ALA Notable Books, Junior Library Guild selections, the recipient of an E. B. White Read Aloud Award, and an Edgar Award nominee, among other distinctions. She lives in Connecticut with her family.

Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of Masterpiece, Shakespeare’s Secret and Desert Crossing, Missing on Superstition Mountain, the first book in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy, as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, an IRA Teacher’s Choice, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions.

Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores.

Kelly Murphy has illustrated many books for children including Masterpiece, Alex and the Amazing Time Machine, and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist books. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Big News

Marvin is so excited that he runs in circles on James's desk. Karl and Christina are coming to visit! Karl is James's father, an artist just like Marvin, except that he doesn't draw tiny pictures. He paints giant ones, full of color. Christina is Karl's girlfriend and James's friend, and Marvin likes her very much. She works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Marvin thinks the Met is the best museum in the whole world.

Karl and Christina see James often, but today, they are coming because they have big news. What could it be?

"Maybe they're getting a dog!" James says.

James would love a dog. But he lives with his mother and stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. Pompaday, and no dogs are allowed in their apartment.

Marvin races across the desk to a picture he once made for James, a drawing of the beach. He taps it with two of his legs.

"Oh!" James says. "Do you think they'll take me to the beach?"

Marvin does not want James to go away, but it's fun to think about a trip to the beach.

"I have an idea," says James. "Maybe my dad is getting a new car."

He takes a little toy car from his shelf and zooms it across the desk.

Marvin watches it fly past.

"Hey," James says. "Want a ride?"

Before Marvin has time to think, James picks him up and puts him in the front seat of the tiny car.

Marvin is in the driver's seat! He puts his front legs on the steering wheel.

James taps the car with his finger.

Whoosh!

It speeds across the desk.

Marvin is driving!

James laughs. "Now you're a race-car driver."

Why didn't they ever do this before? Marvin loves riding in the car. It is so fast, much faster than crawling.

"Let's put it on the floor," James says. James and Marvin race the car across the bedroom rug over and over again, with Marvin driving.

Once, it bangs into the leg of the chair.

Bump!

Marvin almost falls out.

But the rest of the time, the car goes very fast in a straight line. Marvin thinks he is an excellent driver. He wishes his cousin, Elaine, could see how fast he's going.

"Wouldn't it be cool if my dad got a new car?" James says.

They are just thinking how great this would be when they hear a knock on James's door.

Karl and Christina are standing there, smiling.

Marvin sees their happy faces and has a sudden feeling that the big news is not a dog or a trip to the beach or a race car.

"James," Karl says, bending down with his arms out. "We have something to tell you."

Christina hugs James too, as they say in one loud, excited voice: "We're getting married!"

James looks at them with wide eyes. "Wow," he says.

Marvin slips out of the tiny car and crawls behind it so nobody will see him.

"Isn't it fantastic?" Karl asks.

"We're so happy," Christina says. "Are you happy?"

"Yes," James says quickly. "That's great."

Marvin is watching James. He thinks that James does not look very happy. He certainly doesn't look as happy as Karl and Christina.

But why not? James loves Christina. Marvin knows that.

"The wedding is going to be at the Cloisters," Christina tells James. "Have you ever been to the Cloisters?"

James shakes his head.

"It's a very old church that was moved here, stone by stone, from France."

"Really?" James says. "Across the ocean?"

This sounds strange to Marvin. But he has learned that humans sometimes do the strangest things.

"Yes," Christina tells him. "It's part of the museum, even though it's a few miles away. The Cloisters has some of the Met's art from the Middle Ages."

"And it will be a nice place for a wedding," Karl says. "It's high on a cliff above the Hudson River."

"Cool," James says.

Marvin thinks James seems especially quiet.

"I know this is a lot to take in, buddy," Karl says. "But I have one more thing to tell you ... or ask you, really."

"What?" James looks up at Karl.

Marvin peeks over the top of the shiny little car. What more could they possibly say? Isn't this wedding news enough?

Karl takes a deep breath. "I was wondering if you would be my best man?"

"You mean ..." James begins.

"Yes!" Karl says. "You'll stand beside me at the wedding and pass the ring to me when it's time."

Marvin thinks James looks worried.

"It's the most important job at the wedding," Karl says.

Christina nods. "And we want you to do it because you're the most important person in the world to both of us."

Their faces are so full of joy, Marvin can only hope James will say yes.

"What do you think, buddy? Can you do that?" Karl asks.

"Okay," James says.

"Terrific!" Karl hugs him hard.

Christina kisses his cheek. "Oh, thank you, James. It means so much to us."

"We have to go," Karl says. "We'll come back later and take you shopping for a suit."

"There's a lot to do," Christina adds. "The wedding is two weeks from Saturday."

Two weeks! Marvin thinks that is very soon.

They hurry off, leaving Marvin and James alone in the quiet bedroom.

CHAPTER 2

So Many Questions

James lies down on the floor. Marvin can tell they are finished racing cars.

He crawls close to James's face.

"It's okay," James says.

Marvin waits.

After a minute, James says, "Christina is the best. If my dad has to marry anyone, I'm glad it's her."

Marvin completely agrees. So why does James look sad?

James sighs.

He gently picks up Marvin.

"Let's draw something," he says.

Marvin always loves drawing. But he's surprised that James wants to draw right now.

James puts Marvin on his desk and takes out some paper. Then he opens the bottle of ink and pours a little into the cap, next to Marvin.

Marvin dips his front legs in the ink and makes a swirl at the top of the paper, like this:

James draws at the bottom of the paper.

"I just like things the way they are," he says.

Marvin can certainly understand that. Mama and Papa recently got rid of his bottle-cap swimming pool because it started leaking. They have promised to find Marvin a new swimming pool, but he liked the old one, and he misses it.

James stops drawing. "Is Christina going to move in with my dad?"

Marvin hadn't thought about this. Of course Karl and Christina will live together after they get married.

"Or is my dad going to move in with her?" James asks.

Now Marvin stops drawing too. He can see the worried look on James's face.

"Her place isn't very big. Do you think there will be room for me?" James asks.

So many questions! Marvin wants to tell James that everything will be okay. But there is no way to know that it will be.

James sighs again. He looks at Marvin's inky swirls.

"Hey," he says, pointing to one. "That looks like the top of a tree."

Carefully, James draws the trunk of the tree, and then more trunks, making a forest.

"My dad seems really happy," James says. He draws two people holding hands. "So does Christina." Marvin draws more swirls. James draws a square. At first, Marvin thinks it is a house. But then James puts a cross on it, like this:

So Marvin knows it's a church.

Marvin dips his front legs in the ink again. Above the heads of the two people, he draws a heart.

James smiles at Marvin. "Look," he says. "They're getting married. Wait, I have an idea." He folds the paper in half and writes on it before showing it to Marvin.

"We made a card for them," he says.

Marvin beams up at him. James is so kind. Even when he is worried about his whole life changing, he can't help being nice.

CHAPTER 3

Wedding Plans

Marvin crawls back to his home under the kitchen sink, eager to share the news.

"Mama! Papa!" he cries. "Where are you?"

They race into the living room, looking alarmed.

"What is it?" Mama asks. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, but guess what?" Marvin says. "Karl and Christina are getting married!"

Mama claps her front legs together. "How wonderful!"

Elaine rushes in. "What's going on? What's wonderful?"

So Marvin tells her, and Elaine jumps up and down. "Oh! They're in LOVE!" She covers her heart. "A wedding! Marvin — we have to go."

"Certainly not," Mama says briskly. "Beetles do not belong at a human wedding."

"Karl and Christina don't even know about us," Papa adds. "It's too risky."

"We'll stay out of sight," Elaine says. "Nobody will know. Just think, a real wedding!"

"Now, Elaine," Mama says. "Don't start making plans."

Elaine dances in circles. "We're going to a wedding! James must be so excited. Is he, Marvin? Is he?"

Mama, Papa, and Elaine all look at Marvin, waiting for his answer.

"Well, not really," he says slowly.

"What? Why not?" Elaine demands.

"I thought James liked Christina," Papa says.

"He does," Marvin says. "I think he's just ... worried."

"Worried?" Elaine looks shocked.

But Mama understands. "Of course he is," she says. "It's a big change, for everyone."

Marvin sighs. Poor James.

"But that doesn't mean it won't be a change for the better," Mama says. "James just needs time to get used to it."

The wedding is only two weeks away, Marvin thinks. That isn't a lot of time.

"I know!" Elaine says. "Let's pick out a present for him, from the treasure box. That will cheer him up."

Marvin has to admit this is a good idea. The beetles keep a little box of things they have found in the Pompadays' apartment that are special or pretty but not useful in the beetles' world. This is where Marvin got the buffalo nickel he gave James as a gift, months ago, on his birthday.

Elaine races to the treasure box, with Marvin close behind her.

"Let's see," Elaine says. "What do we have here?"

There's a pearl earring, shiny and white.

There's a bobby pin.

There's a tiny plastic bottle of perfume.

None of these seem like good presents for James.

Marvin and Elaine dig through the pile of stuff.

"What about this?" Elaine asks. "Isn't it pretty?"

She points to a marble. It's made of glass, pink like a sunset.

But Marvin does not think James needs a marble.

Then Marvin spots a rubber ball. A super ball!

"This is perfect for James," he tells Elaine.

"Yay! That will be easy to roll to his room," she says.

Marvin and Elaine wait until there is nobody in the kitchen. Then they roll the super ball out of the kitchen cupboard. It bounces and speeds across the floor.

The ball is easy to roll, but hard to control.

Marvin jumps on top of it and tries to steer it.

It rolls over and over with Marvin holding on tight. Thank goodness for his hard shell.

"Marvin, watch out!" Elaine cries. "Or that ball will squash you like a bug."

Finally, they reach James's room. It's empty.

They are trying to decide where to put his present when they hear noises in the hallway. James runs in. His arms are full of shopping bags.

Elaine hides behind the leg of the chair. Marvin gives the super ball a push. It rolls across the rug.

"Hey!" James cries. "My old super ball! I thought I lost it."

Ha! This ball must have belonged to James before James and Marvin were even friends.

James bounces it high in the air, catching it. "Cool!"

He spots Marvin and picks him up. "Did you find this? Thanks, little guy," he says.

That makes Marvin happy.

"Want to see my new suit?" James asks.

He opens one of the shopping bags and pulls out a fancy blue suit. It looks like something Mr. Pompaday would wear, not James. But it is small, James's size.

"And here's the best part," James says. "The tie."

He pulls out a striped tie, then holds up something little and shiny for Marvin to see.

It is silver and shaped like a ...

BEETLE!

"It's called a tie clasp," James says. "My dad let me pick it out. I'm going to wear it on my tie at the wedding."

That makes Marvin very happy.

"I really hope you can come with me," James says. "It will make me feel better if you're there."

Marvin hopes he can go to the wedding too ... and he knows there is someone else who is counting on it.

CHAPTER 4

A Wedding Emergency

Finally, it is the morning of the wedding! The weather is warm and sunny. It will be a beautiful day at the Cloisters. James is busy putting on his new suit. Marvin and Elaineare busy begging their parents to let them go to the wedding.

At first, Mama, Papa, Uncle Albert, and Aunt Edith do not like this idea at all. The wedding is in a strange place, far away.

But Marvin and Elaine remind them that not so long ago, James saved Uncle Albert's life. And now he needs them.

"Without James, my dear father would be gone," Elaine says sadly.

"Besides," Marvin adds, "we're always safe with James."

When the grown-ups still can't decide, Elaine sheds a few tears. "I've never seen the world," she cries. "This might be my only chance before I DIE."

"All right, all right, that's enough," Uncle Albert says.

The grown-ups look at each other. "You can go," Papa says finally. "But stay together, and stay out of sight."

"And be back before dinner," Mama adds.

Elaine and Marvin grab each other's front legs and spin in a circle.

"The wedding!" Elaine shouts. "We're going to the wedding!"

When they reach James's room, he is sitting on his bed in his new suit, fixing his tie with the silver beetle tie clasp. Marvin and Elaine race across the rug to the desk. As soon as they get to the top, James spots them.

"Hey, little guy! You're here! And you brought a friend. Does this mean you're coming to the wedding?"

In answer, Marvin and Elaine climb onto his finger.

They hear Karl's voice in the hallway. "James! It's time."

James smiles and quickly puts them both in his coat pocket, hidden behind a handkerchief.

"Ready," he calls back.

And off they go to the wedding.

So many sights and sounds! Marvin and Elaine huddle close in James's pocket, peeking out. They whisper excitedly during the elevator ride downstairs, and on the walk along the street. In the cab to the Cloisters, they sneak out for a better view but then quickly return to their hiding spot.

The city whizzes past.

Inside the cab, Karl is wearing a black tuxedo. Marvin thinks he looks very handsome.

"I've got the ring," Karl tells James, hugging him and smiling. "I'll give it to you right before the wedding starts."

"Okay," James says.

"There's nothing to worry about," Karl says. "You'll hold it for a few minutes, then hand it to me, and then I'll put it on Christina's finger."

James nods, looking serious.

When they get to the Cloisters, the sun is shining and flowers are in bloom all around them. The old stone church is high on a hill. Marvin and Elaine lean over the edge of James's pocket. They can see everything, even the big Hudson River, shining far below.

"Where's Christina?" James asks.

"We won't see her until the music starts," Karl tells him. "She wants her wedding dress to be a surprise."

They walk quickly through crowds of people, under stone arches, past statues, and into a courtyard filled with flowers. White chairs are set up in two rows. There are four people playing music in the corner. Mr. and Mrs. Pompaday and William are already there.

Mrs. Pompaday rushes over, holding William. "Oh, James, don't you look nice. We'll be right here in the second row, to see you be the best man! And then you'll come home with us when everything is over."

"Ya ya!" William yells.

Marvin can tell James is glad to see them, but there's no time to talk. James and Karl hurry to stand in front of everyone.

"Stay out of sight," Marvin reminds Elaine.

They peek out at the people, the flowers, and the tall stone walls of the church. Marvin sees that the stones are very old. He wonders if there were other weddings inside this church, hundreds of years ago, across the ocean in France.

"I can't wait to see the bride," Elaine whispers.

"James," Karl says, "here is the ring." He takes a small gold band out of a box and hands it to James. "Give it back to me in a few minutes when I ask."

"Okay," James says. Marvin can see that James is nervous.

Karl squeezes his shoulder. "You're the BEST best man any guy could ask for."

As James smiles up at his dad, the music starts.

And then Christina appears. She is wearing a long white dress. Her hair is in a bun. She is carrying a big bouquet of flowers. She walks across the courtyard to Karl and James, her face glowing.

"Oh," Elaine says, "she looks beautiful!"

The music stops, and a woman in a suit stands between Karl and Christina. She starts talking about love and family and getting married.

"They're in LOVE," Elaine whispers to Marvin. "And now they are going to be together forever."

Marvin knows this isn't always true. James's own father and mother, Karl and Mrs. Pompaday, got married a long time ago, and they didn't stay together forever.

But when they got married, Marvin thinks, they must have meant to stay together forever. And they had James, who would never have been born otherwise. Marvin cannot bear to picture a world without James.

He is thinking all these things when he hears Christina cry, "Oh!"

There, in her pretty bunch of flowers, Marvin sees a bee.

He sees the bee just as Karl asks James for the ring. And just as James is handing Karl the ring, two more bees land in Christina's flowers.

Karl tries to wave them away.

"She's allergic!" he cries.

But the bees keep buzzing around the flowers.

"Oh no!" Elaine whispers to Marvin. "This is bad!"

"We have to do something," Marvin says.

Together, he and Elaine lean over the edge of James's pocket, waving their legs at the bees.

"Hey!" Elaine yells. "Beat it!"

"Please," Marvin calls. "And take your friends with you."

Christina looks frightened. She is waving the bunch of flowers in the air, trying to get rid of the bees.

"What's up?" says one bee, flying near Marvin.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Marvin & James Save the Day!"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Elise Broach.
Excerpted by permission of Henry Holt and Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Title Page,
Copyright Notice,
Dedication,
CHAPTER ONE Big News,
CHAPTER TWO So Many Questions,
CHAPTER THREE Wedding Plans,
CHAPTER FOUR A Wedding Emergency,
CHAPTER FIVE The Ring,
About the Author and Illustrator,
Copyright,

Editorial Reviews

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"This entry in The Masterpiece Adventures beginning chapter-book series reestablishes the childlike fun that Marvin and James share, while acknowledging that fear of change can provoke worries. Enhanced by large type and pen-and-ink illustrations on every page, the well-paced story is just right for transitional readers."—Booklist

From the Publisher